THE ISSUE
The most diverse Congress in United States history was sworn in on Jan. 3. The 116th Congress — 534 members in all — features a record number of women. Overall, 127 women (106 Democrats, 21 Republicans) now hold nearly 24 percent of the seats in Congress, according to the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University. For the first time, there are two Native American women in the House. And Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., are the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, another sign of change. “It’s a new day in America,” Omar tweeted Jan. 3.
Indeed, it’s a new day.
The 116th Congress, now with nearly a month under its belt, is more reflective of America than ever before.
Here’s an excerpt from the oath that lawmakers took on Jan. 3: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic ... and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.”
Those are powerful words. There are many important duties that need to be discharged.
There is much work to be done by our elected officials in Washington.
First — and why must we keep bringing this up? — we need closure on this chapter of the debate over border security. We need to end the threat of another partial government shutdown this month.
We must have decorum and compromise.
We need President Donald Trump to work with Congress, especially House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to solve this manufactured crisis. We don’t expect an easy end to the important debate over immigration, border security or even border barriers. But we urge readers to ask our leaders in Washington to stop using the American people and hard-working government employees as pawns in their attempts to force political checkmate.
We must move on from “The Wall.”
And we must allow Congress to turn its attention to myriad other issues of national importance.
Rebuilding America
One thing we have in mind is infrastructure.
This should be an easy one. Something everyone on both sides of the aisle can get behind.
Government should do what individuals cannot, and one of those things is building infrastructure.
Alas, since 2017, “Infrastructure Week” has been a running joke in politics. But the joke has been on us, because infrastructure conversations and legislation have remained on the back-burner, week after week.
Every week was “Infrastructure Week,” because no week was.
That must change.
Trump has said repeatedly that he believes he can work with Democrats on infrastructure. That seems realistic. “Infrastructure is one of those rare issues that transcends ideology,” Colby Itkowitz wrote recently in The Washington Post. “It unites Republicans and Democrats, the business community and labor unions. Nearly everyone agrees that U.S. transportation systems are in need of massive upgrades to be functional and, frankly, safe.”
The key is that tackling our deficient roads, bridges, public transportation, utilities, ports, railways and airports requires funding. “Real money” and “real investment” are needed, Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told Reuters.
And getting “real” is the part where Washington thus far hasn’t been able to get across the finish line. Perhaps the 116th Congress can.
For we cannot wait any longer. Elizabeth Brotherton-Bunch, writing for the Alliance for American Manufacturing last year, painted a dire picture: “America’s infrastructure is in bad shape. Like, we’re talking really bad. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our infrastructure a D+ grade. There are more than 56,000 bridges across the United States that are structurally deficient ... and our water pipelines are so outdated that there are an estimated 240,000 water main breaks every year.”
DeFazio told CQ Roll Call that he believes Democrats and Republicans can work together with the president.
“(Trump) wants to do infrastructure,” DeFazio said. “I want to do infrastructure, the country needs infrastructure, there’s bipartisan consensus that we need infrastructure. I think it’s one place where we ought to be able to lay aside our differences and get it done.”
And Lancaster County Republican Congressman Lloyd Smucker, also a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, affirmed last year that there is “real bipartisan support for modernizing our infrastructure.”
We’re glad of this. We agree it’s necessary.
Spending on infrastructure would also bolster the economy and help serve as an economic bulwark against a potential recession. Rebuilding America by creating good-paying American jobs should be something we can all get behind.
There are other priorities we’d like to see Congress tackle. In our “Wishes for 2019,” published in Sunday LNP on Dec. 30, we specifically noted the need for “sweeping and immediate initiatives to counteract the man-made aspects of climate change.” We’d also like to see — among other things — sensible gun reform (including universal background checks) and better securing of our elections from foreign interference.
The 116th Congress is historic, for sure.
But if it truly wants to make history, it’s time to roll up the sleeves and get to work.
The American people cannot afford another “do nothing” Congress.
